Jackson State Eric Bowie (7) zeroes in on white team running back Terrell Kennedy (4) behind the line on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in the JSU spring game in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss.(Photo11: Chris Todd, For Clarion Ledger)Buy Photo

Jackson State defensive coordinator John Hendrick knows what it looks like when the Tigers execute his 3-3-5 scheme almost to perfection. He saw it at the end of last season.

The Tigers had some success early, particularly against No. 23 Tennessee State, which JSU held to 17 points in the Southern Heritage Classic. They hit a rough patch in the middle of the season, giving up 33 or more points in five straight games, but by the last quarter of the season – the four-game stretch where JSU showed signs of life by finishing 3-1 – they really had the defense humming.

The Tigers gave up just two touchdowns in those last four games and performed well even in the lone loss, a 13-7 heart-breaker against Alabama State. Against arch-rival Alcorn, the SWAC East Champs, the Tigers only needed one offensive touchdown to get a 7-3 win.

“As far as the scheme goes, we had it figured out by the end (of last season),” senior linebacker Eric Bowie said. “We’ve got some stuff to figure out before this season starts, but as far as the system goes, we’re just rolling over what we learned last year.”

“We’re coming along,” he said following the Tigers’ 10th practice of fall camp Tuesday. “We’ve got a ways to go, but I think we’ve only had one bad day out of 10. If we were ready to play today, I’d be scared, because that means we’re ready too early. You want to build it to a crescendo, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Every coach adds their own wrinkle to meet their particular needs, and linebackers Andre Lloyd and Shawn Bishop were key in implementing Hendrick’s plan last season. Each play, they looked to the sidelines for a call, relayed it to the rest of the defense and moved teammates into alignment like chess pieces.

With Lloyd and Bishop gone, the first thing Hendricks needed to do is identify some leaders to fill the void. Enter senior linebacker Darius Woods, who has stepped up at weak-side linebacker and is one half of the on-the-field brain trust.

The real key may be freshman Keontae Hampton, who red-shirted last season in his freshman year before proving himself in the spring. Now, it appears he’s going to play an integral role in the middle of Hendrick’s 3-3-5 scheme.

“He’s a young guy who has come a long way,” Hendricks said. “He’s running with the first string right now, and I’m really excited because with him, I like our first group and I think it really has a chance to be good.”

Hampton played a similar role at West Point, where he had 83 tackles in 14 games as a senior.

Bowie is patrolling the strong side and providing pressure off the edge. He played defensive end in high school, and his size (6-foot-2 and 225 pounds) and strength make him a real pass-rush threat coming off the edge.

“I never played linebacker until college,” Bowie said. “That was kind of new to me, but this position is perfect because It’s kind of like a hybrid position where I’m expected to do a little of everything but I still get to rush the passer.”

In the back end, the Tigers are looking for the four best safeties and the six best corners. It’s a lot of guys to go through, but Hughes and his staff believe they've had enough “hits” in recruiting to fill out the depth chart.

Senior Ryan Theyard and sopohomore C.J. Holmes return as starters at the outside corner spots. Sophomores Markel Gladney, Kevin Berthey and Kendrick Paul all played some nickel corner last year. The two true freshmen, Cameron Burns and David Arrington, have impressed coaches with how quickly they’ve picked up on the nuances of the defense.

Three veterans – Alexander Shaw, Tyler Rogers and Tonea Alex – lead the pack at safety.

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Blue team defender Alexander Shaw (29) and Kobe Gate compete for a pass on the sideline on Sunday, April 15, 2018, in the JSU spring game in Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Miss.(Photo11: Chris Todd, For Clarion Ledger)

“Our key thing is communication,” Rogers said. “As long as we have that, everything will work out. We all work as one, but as defensive backs, we are on our own sometimes. We have our own type of communication and it’s clicking with us so far.”

Senior Malik Hamner, sophomore Charles Anderson and senior Khalil Johnson appear to be the leaders in the clubhouse to start on the defensive line.

Hamner, in particular, seems poised for a big season if he can stay healthy. He played his best football in those final four games last season, but he’s been in a boot since the team’s first scrimmage on Aug. 11. Hendricks said it’s mostly precautionary.

Johnson has looked dominant in practice, and Anderson has the big body necessary to clog the middle of the line. If those three can have success shutting down running lanes, it should free up Bowie or a blitzing corner or safety to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

“We don’t really try to disguise things and there’s not a lot of smoke and mirrors to what we’re doing,” Bowie said. “We just have a bunch of athletes on the defensive side of the ball, period.”